Envelop sealing and stamping machine.



E. J.- ABBOTT.

BNVELOP SEALING AND STAMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1909. u 959,283. Patented May 24, 1910.

Y 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. J. ABBOTT.

ENVELOB SEALING AND STAMPING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIN FILED MAY 10, 1909.

Patented May 24 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

27 62x HQ-E- NITED sTATEs PATENT onirica.

DDwABD J. ABBOTT, ormIssIoN CITY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, GANADA. 'nNvnDor sBALING .AND STAI/:PING MACHINE. i

Specioation of Letters Patent. Patented May 24, 1910. Application inea my 1o, 190s. semi No.

To all whom 'it may concern: v

',Be it known that I, EDWARD J. ABBOTT, citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Mission City, in the Province of British Columbia,'(lanada, have invented a new `and useful Improvement in Envelop Sealing and Stamping Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a machine for flaps moistened and closed, Fig. 2, a side elevation of the machine, Fig. 3, a longitudinal section on the line B B in Fig. 6,

5, an end elevation of and part section through the envelop holding receptacle show ing the means whereby the envelop meistening slide is wetted, and Fi 6 a general lan of the machine. Fig. 7, 1s an enlar e de tail view hereinafter referred to. Fig. 8, is an enlarged detail view of a part of my invention. Y y

In these drawings 2 represents the frame of the machine to which the several parts of its mechanism `are attached and connected, which frame is designed to rest upon a table or desk. w

Pivotally mounted on 'screws 3 through the side franes of the machine is an envelop holding receptacle 4, adapted generally in length and breadth to the size o envelop re,- quired, and provided with `light centering guides 5 flexibly depending from the upper edges of its sides and adjust-ablev at the lower en by means of screws 6 as shown in Fig. 5;-,

.The envelop holding receptacle 4 is open at the bottom, save for a ledge 7 projecting inward across the back, and the pivotal axis Bis toward the back of the receptacle so that its front ed e rests upon a roller 10 freely rotatable in earings 11 which are vertically movable downward in the side frames 2 against the resistance of springs 12. A portion of theweight of the receptacle thus Fig. 4z a cross section on the line C C in Fig. 6, Fig.

vbe movable downward with it.

rests upon the roller 10 .and this pressure.

may be supplemented by a spring 8 secured to the frame 2 and bearing against the upper art of the back of the receptacle.

S idable in at the approximate level of the bottom of guides 13 in the side frames 2 the receptacle 4, is a plate 14 beveled toward its front edge and having on its under side a, pad 15 of absorbent material designed to Inoisten the gummed flap of the envelop, which absorbent pad is wetted in a manner to be described later. The plate 14 is horizontallyreciprocated in its ides by 16, secured on each side of t e machine on a shaft 17 rockable in bearings 18 in the side.

frames 2, and these levers 16 are oscillated by a rod 19 connected to one of the levers from a crank pin 20 secured on one end of levers y the shaft of a roller 21 from which shaft all the movements of the machine are derived and which is rotated by means of a handle 22.

Pivotally mounted at 23 with its front end under the slide plate 14 is a water holding Vessel 24, the front end of which is designed to hold a sponge 24x or-the like. The front end of this water holding vessel rests upon a lever 25, pivotally mounted at 26 in the .side frame-2, the outer end 27 of which lever projects in the path of the end 28 of. the connecting rod 19 when that rod is at the back end of its stroke so that when the connesting mi. 19 is Sliding back the plate 14 the end 28 of the rod presses down the end 27 of the. lever 25 and lifts the sponge holding front end of the vessel 24 upward and into contact with the absorbent pad 15 of the slide plate 14.

Between the roller 10 and the roller 21, and having its upper side in approximate alinement therewith, is a roller 30 rotatable in bearings 3l downwardly movable in guides in the side frame against the resistancef springs in a similar manner to the roller 10. Around the rollers 21 and 30 is stretched a band of flexible fabric 32 which fabric issupported between the rollers by l a bearing plate 33 which plate may be car ried` on the shaft of the roller 30 so as to in bearings in the side frame immediately over the rollers 21 and 30 are rollers35 and 36, 35 being driven from the roller 21 by gear wheels 37 'and 38, and over these Rotatable Y rollers 35 and 36 are stretched fabric bands 39 to hold the envelops down with a yielding pressure between the rollers.

The mechanism so far described is that by which the envelops are withdrawn from the receptacle and their ummed iiaps moistened and closed upon tie body of the envelop. Y

In operation the envelops are placed horizontally in the receptacle wit-h their gummed fiaps downward and the free edgesl of them directed backward, with which arrangement, the back edge of the lower envelop rests upon the ledge 7 and its frontedge u on the roller 10, the gummed Hap directed backward beyond the lower edge of the receptacle and in the path of the plate 14,

the absorbent pad 15 of which has been frame.

moistened during the backward stroke by contact with the sponge in the Water vessel 24 which sponge was lifted into contact with it in the manner previously described.` (ln rotation by the handle 22 the late 14 is moved forward and engages the ap of the envelop from under the front edge of the receptacle 4, which is lifted during the movement to permit it to pass, and during this movement the moistened pad 15 wets the gum on the flap. The late 14 delivers the front edge of the enve op between the rollers 30 and 35 which engage it and carry it forward, while the plate 14 recedes to receive the next one and in ythat backward movement effectually completes the wetting of the gummed flapby rubbing its moistened absorbent pad over it. As the envelop passes through the rolls 30, 35 and 21, 36 it is tightly pressed by means of the springs .'12x which control the movement of the rollers and its gummed and moistened flap is efectually sealed upon the body of the envelop which is delivered from the front end of the machine which may if found necessary be provided with a chute 40 for such delivery.

Situated on one side of the machine corresponding to the side of the envelop to water vessel 4 1 and its absorbent pad is supported on a stem 42 vertically slldable in a ide in the side frame and connected to a lever 43 ivotally connected at 44 to the side t is normally held in the upward position z'. e. with the moistening ad clear of the envelop by a spring 45, an is operated to pull the ad down in contact with a passing envelop y a projection 46 from the shaft of the roller 21 which projection engages the free end of the lever 43.

The postage stamps are furnished to the machine in strips 50 previously divided from the sheets in which they are sold which 7@ strips are fed to the knife by which the individual stamps are cut off, by rollers 51, one of which rollers is directly rotated by a star wheel 53 therays of which are engaged by and moved through the required arc of rotation .by a pin 54 projecting from the inner side of the gear wheel 37, which move# ment may if necessary be completed by aJ similar projection 55 which also performs another function to be described later. The upper` roller 52 may be rotated by frictional contact with the lower one, or by gear wheels 52x if found necessary. From these feed rollers 51 and 52 the stamp` strip is projected through a slit 56 in a late 57 85 against which plate the severing kni e slides, means being provided between the feed roll ers and the slit to revent the stamp from turning up and avoiding the slit.

The knife 58 by which the individual 9c stamps are severed froln the strip 50 is preferably furnished with-a serrated edge and is attached to the free end of an arm 59 pivotally mounted at 60 to the sideframe of the machine. To the end of the knife lever 59 is secured an open rectangular casing 63 within which loosely fits a presser block 64 provided with grooves or perforations on its under side to prevent the detached stamp adhering by suction to the presser block when the same is lifted. The knife blade 58 is held clear of the stamp delivery slit 56 and is drawn closely against the slit plate 57 by a s ring 61 and the knife is drawn down to e ect the cutting of a stamp, when projected through the slit, by a rod 62 vertically slidable in the side frame 2 and connected to the end of a lever 65 pivotally mounted at 66, the downward movement of this lever bein effected by a pin 55 pro- 110 jecting from t e inner side of the gear wheel 37 and previously referred to as also serving to ei'ect the rotation of the star wheel 53 by which the stamp feed rolls are rotated.

The stamp strip may be carried for delivery to the feed rolls in any convenient manner. It is shown in the drawing as coiled around a reel 70, the under side of which bears on the upper side of a flexible band 71 120 which passes over the lower feed roll 51 and an idler 72 rotatably mounted in the end of an arm 73 provided with a spring 74 to v maintain the band tight. ,t

Having now particularly described my invention and the manner of its operation, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

1. As a. means for sealing envelops, the

combination with an open bottomed envelop receptacle in which the envelops may be `horizontally disposed, means for pivotally` supporting the envelop holding receptacle toward theback edge of the bottom, a freely rotatable roller on which' the o posite edge of the receptacle. rests, a plate s ldable along the bottom rof the receptacle ast the free edge which rests upon the rol er said plate having a pad of absorbeent material on its under side, opposed rollers between which the plate will deliver the bottom envelop removed from the receptacle, means for rotating-the opposed rollers, means coperative therewith for reciprocating the plate,

and .means for moistening the absorbent pad on the under side of the plate.

, 2. As a means forsealin envelops, the combination with a pivotal y mounted envelop holding receptacle', of a freely rotatable roller supporting the edge of the envelop holding receptacle opposite to that where it is pivotally mounted, a plate slidable beneath the under side of the receptacle that will engage the flap of the bottomenvelop in the receptacle and deliver it between the roller and the edge of the receptaclegresting on it said plate having a pad of absorbent material on its under side, a water containing vessel pivotally mounted beneathl the slidable plate and having at its free end a sponge or other absorbent material, opposed rollers between which the slidable plate will deliver an envelop removed from the receptacle, means for rotating the rollers, means coperativel therewith for reciprocating the late, and means for lifting the sponge hol ing end of the water vessel into contact with the absorbent pad of the slidable plate during the back-l ing a pad of absorbent material on its 1111- der side, a water vessel pivotally mounted beneath ,the platesaid vessel having a place for the reception of a sponge or other absorbent material toward itsy free end, two pair of opposed rollers the line of contact of which is in the lane of movement of the slidable plate eac pair of said opposed rollers being movable apart against the resistance of springs, a supportlng plate. between the lower rollers, means for rotating the rollers, means coperative therewith for reciprocating the slidable plate, and means for lifting the free end of the water vessel to bring the sponge into contact with the pad of absorbent material on the slidable plate duringv the backward movement of that plate.

n ame to this specification in the presence of two subscrblng witnesses.

EDWARD J. ABBoTT. y

Witnesses RowLAND BRITTAIN,

OLIVE S. CARMAN.

In testimony whereof I-have signed my 

